BY AISHA IQBAL

A BRACKNELL post office is set to be one of 3,000 branches to be closed this year as part of a national shake-up.

Amen Corner's Popeswood post office looks set to close after bosses decided it was no longer viable to keep it going.

Sub-postmaster Ramnik Sodha, who has run the tiny branch for 15 years, said the closure would be "bad for the community".

Mr Sodha said: "It had to happen and I have already agreed to it.

"I bought it in 1988 but business has been declining for the last four or five years.

"People have their benefits and pensions paid into their bank accounts and we never see lunchtime queues anymore.

"There are just not enough people using it."

He added that the closure was a "real pity" because local post offices are a focal point for residents..

However, he insisted that his newsagents' shop, which houses the post office counter, will continue despite reports to the contrary in another local newspaper.

He said: "I don't want people to get the wrong end of the stick. The shop will still be open and I will be here as long as I can be.

"I don't think the shop's business will really be affected because not many people used the post office anyway."

Over the next four weeks, Post Office Ltd will be writing to community representatives and asking for feedback about the proposed closure, even though it already looks like a foregone conclusion.

A regional spokesman said: "The sub-postmaster of Popeswood branch wishes to close — and has our provisional agreement.

"We have looked extremely carefully at this proposal.

"We have taken into account many issues, such as proximity to other offices, long-term viability, provision of services, and naturally, the wishes of the sub-postmaster.

"We believe the closure of the Popeswood branch is the most appropriate option."

He added that if and when the branch closes, the nearby Windlesham Road and Binfield branches will continue to serve the community.

The nationwide network of Post Office branches currently faces a critical point in its history.

Bosses say there are simply not enough customers for the number of offices in towns and cities and that there is the prospect of further customer losses with new Government strategies to move benefit payments from order books to bank accounts — which will affect branches' viability.

The spokesman added: "We do not want branches closing in an ad hoc manner — this would not be good for customers or for the Post Office network.

"For the network to survive, we must make some tough, commercial decisions, while ensuring our customers have reasonable access to our products and services."